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Klawchat 8/16/18
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Keith Law
2:01
Damn the dark, damn the light. Klawchat.
Gerald
2:01
Do you like prospects? Baseball prospects to be clear.
Keith Law
2:01
No. Hate 'em.
Ryan
2:01
do you see the braves trading any prospects this winter for a veteran? if so whose most likely to go?
Keith Law
2:02
I think they'll do what they just did for Duvall - trade from the surplus, the edges of the system, not the core prospects. You keep the Toukis and the Goharas and the Sorokas (if healthy), but trade the Sims.
addoeh
2:03
Which is better; to have more hits than Sadaharu Oh or mad hits like Rod Carew?
Keith Law
2:03
Neither. Better to be clutch like Piazza.
Kevin
2:03
How would you currently rank the White Sox farm system? Have the injuries impacted their overall ranking? It seems they have been hurt more than prior years.
Keith Law
2:03
Tough year for them, still near the top in terms of high-upside talent, only graduated one major guy (I think?) from my list.
JG
2:04
Nick Gordon has had a down season thus far in AAA. Is there cause for concern or needs more time?
Keith Law
2:04
He's 22 and hit everywhere else. I don't think he's a star but I believe I've been consistent the last few years in saying he's a regular, and someone who'll play above his tools because of his feel for the game.
Sean
2:04
Have you had a chance to review the international signing rule changes? I have not had a chance to do a deep dive into the new international signing rules. It appears though that these rules just really acknowledge the fact that the majority of those players sign prior to their J2 date. From my point of view nothing is really about to change, do you see the same thing?
Keith Law
2:05
Yes, that was my quick take too. Formalizing some of that process can create more transparency, and I think it will help players too, since teams could always try to back out of oral agreements. The rules allowing teams to help players travel for workouts are more important, because there are still players in Venezuela, but going there to scout them is too dangerous.
Brian
2:05
Is there a major league future for Mickey Moniak?
Keith Law
2:05
I don't see much of one right now.
Ian
2:05
What is a good solution to getting rid of purposeful HBPs? Consequences for the manager?  Fine an owner every time a pitcher gets suspended for a beanball? The MLB has to realize that a potential season ending injury for a rising star is not a great idea...
Keith Law
2:06
A suspension of more than five games for a pitcher would be great. Urena should be suspended for at least 10 games ... I'd say something in the 15-20 range.
Rodney
2:06
Great pizza list! I recommend Black Sheep the next time you're in Minneapolis (equal or better than Pizzeria Lola, imo), and Lovely's Fifty Fifty when you're checking out Apizza Scholls in Portland.

On to less important stuff. Should John Gant stay in the rotation when Wacha returns?
Keith Law
2:06
Thanks! I don't think so. He's basically a replacement level starter; Wacha should be more than that.
Eric, Washington DC
2:07
I am comparing the stats of Scherzer and Nola on ESPN and I'm confused to see that Nola's WAR is 7.4 compared to 7.0 for Scherzer. Scherzer has better numbers across the board (ERA, WHIP, Ks, Innings) so I'm wondering why he's behind Nola. Any ideas?
Keith Law
2:08
Yes, Baseball Reference makes some small adjustments such as considering the caliber of competition the pitchers faced. They explain all of that in more detail here than I could do justice to in a chat: https://www.baseball-reference.com/about/war_explained_pitch.shtml
Jaipur rules
2:08
What do you think would be a better 2019 plan for the Cubs?  Sign Machado to play 3rd, move Baez to SS and Bryant to LF and look to trade Russell/Schwarber.  Or sign Harper to play OF, keep the Infield as is and potentially trade Schwarber.  It seems like both offensively and defensively Option A might be better?
Keith Law
2:09
Option A is better than B, but is either really necessary? I feel like their offense is fine, and they still have some surplus there, but they still need and will continue to need help on the pitching side, rotation and bullpen.
Brian
2:09
You mentioned on Twitter the need for people to stop scouting based on stat line. That left me wondering If you've got a player who isn't old for his level, what accounts for a guy who isn't a prospect posting a huge stat line? Is it a fluke? A guy hitting mistakes that won't get made at higher levels, etc?
Keith Law
2:09
It can be a fluke. It can absolutely be a guy hitting minor-league caliber stuff, or getting away with things that better pitchers - with better stuff or command - will exploit.
Bighen
2:09
If Mets hire a new Gm and force him (or her) to try to compete in 2019 what is their best path? They’re not signing machado, Harper etc and improving around the margins on a ~75 win team probably not getting it done.  That being said the last two months have made it look like they have 3 aces. Or an ace and two top end SP anyway.   Hard to see how they do it wo the will to spend.
Keith Law
2:10
I agree. If I were asked to take that job, I'd be talking three-year plans, not one-year. You have talent on the ML roster, and talent coming, but not enough to turn this team into a contender (without a LOT of luck/good health) next year unless you're spending.
Grover
2:10
I’ve heard you express your doubts as to whether or not Julio Urias can recapture any semblance of what made him a top prospect:  is your concern more with whether or not he will ever get his stuff back, or durability because of the nature of his shoulder injury?
Keith Law
2:11
I don't think any pitcher who's had this surgery has truly come back; some never return, and those who have have returned with reduced stuff. Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs saw Urias in Arizona and reported that his stuff was indeed down.
Lyle
2:11
Earlier this season Eric Filia was traded for Roenis Elias but the Red Sox sent Filia back for a failed physical. Since then, Filia has basically played every day for the M's AA team. So...what kind of injury causes a player to fail a physical for one team and play every day for another?
Keith Law
2:12
When I was with the Jays, we had Dustin McGowan in our system, and knew he had a partial tear of his UCL, but he pitched through it without issue for about four years until it finally snapped. He would have failed a review of medicals in a trade, but he was able to pitch.
Grover
2:12
Is there a stat to track who has hit the most rally killing homers?
Keith Law
2:12
Someone get Elias on this, stat.
tmh
2:12
Do you see Jesus Luzardo as a #2 or more of  a mid-rotation guy?
Keith Law
2:12
More mid-rotation until the breaking ball improves.
Murphy
2:12
What would you do to discourage pitchers from intentionally throwing at hitters?
Keith Law
2:12
If you suspend the pitchers long enough, it will end the practice.
redsoxfan
2:12
Dio you still think Mitch Keller has ace potential? Last night start in AAA was encouraging but has struggled. Has hje developed a passable 3rd pitch yet?
Keith Law
2:13
Potential, yes. Third pitch is not there, however, and at some point it becomes foolish to assume it will be.
clb
2:13
Are Kirilloff and Franco both top 15 guys next year?
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